


Not Worthy

by esmereldagrace



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Ridiculous Flirting, Ridiculous Story, Schmoop, Tattoo!Artist!Luke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-17
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 14:28:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/724340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esmereldagrace/pseuds/esmereldagrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tattoos.</p>
<p>Reid wasn't one to knock those who had them, or those who wanted them because that was their choice and good on them, but he wasn't a fan of them for himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Worthy

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little fic idea I had bubbling in my mind for the past couple of months and when inspiration hit, I just had to get it down. This is my little gift for the wonderfully fabulous Dawn, who is celebrating her birthday today!! Happy Birthday, my lovely!! A massive thanks to Tonje for easing my paranoia and for the support. This is not beta-ed so any mistakes are all mine for which I apologise.
> 
> Title is from a song by the wonderful Jack Savoretti with the same name.
> 
> Thank you to those who read and I hope you enjoy! :)

Tattoos.

Reid wasn't one to knock those who had them, or those who wanted them because that was their choice and good on them, but he wasn't a fan of them for himself. He would like to say that it was because he was an incredibly hygienic person. but tattoos meant there were needles, that contained god knows what that didn't come from a hospital, being put into your skin. If he thought about it some more, he knew it wasn't as much to do with the whole cleanliness or hygiene side of things.

It was about the permanence of it.

A tattoo was something that you couldn't ever take back. But he wasn't stupid. He knew there were methods that allowed you to get rid of tattoos if you wanted to, but it was a long and painful process. It wasn't easy.

To get something engraved in your skin, _forever_ , it was a commitment, a lifelong commitment, and Reid couldn't believe that he would or could do that. It was something that was out there for the world to see, a part of you that's bared to the world and being the way he was, he couldn't ever imagine putting something on his skin that represented a part of himself.

And yeah, that kind of scared him and interested him at the same time. But he wasn't ever going to admit that.

So, when he found that the long abandoned coffee shop on his commute to work had been changed into a tattoo studio, Reid was surprised. He'd seen people working on the site over the summer, assuming it would be some sort of massage or therapy place, but he hadn't really expected this.

Boston was, especially at the start of term time, a city that was full of students, but he wasn't quite sure that much of the student population were desperate to get tattoos or piercings or whatever the hell they did in there.

But boy was he wrong.

Walking past, he saw it was filled with youngsters, all college goers and a few people that were considerably older. The inside of the studio looked warm and welcoming, bright and airy, with the walls painted a sunny yellow. It didn't look like those typical dark and dingy places he associated with such an industry. The giant sign in the window declared that today was the studio's opening day and when he glanced up, he found the name of studio splashed across a big board in a subtle but deep burgundy.

_' **Grimaldi Ink**_ '

Curiosity piqued, Reid tried to find the name of the owner in the window and on the sign but came up with zilch. He hadn't realised he'd stopped on the street until someone bumped into him, grumbling obscenities. Reid snapped out of his daze and spared one more look at the studio and tried to ignore just how tempted he was to see why he was so fascinating with the place.

***

Reid's journey to work meant that he walked past the studio every single day.

He thought he'd caught sight of the owner the next morning, he'd deduced that fact since he was the only one in the store early in the morning at six, poring over paperwork at the reception desk. The man's blonde hair, defying gravity, glinted in the early, late summer morning sunlight that had flooded through the windows, but he couldn't quite see his face. The man had glanced up right then but Reid had swiftly turned his head, walking in the direction he was meant to be walking in.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Every morning for the next two weeks it was the same. He would walk to work, see who he was sure was the owner, either doing what looked like paperwork, or cleaning but always there at six in the morning, however he still hadn't seen his face.

He knew that the tattoo studio stayed open late, late enough that drunkards could come in and get a tattoo that they would regret the next day, so he didn't get why the man was there so early in the morning, setting up shop when it wouldn't be open for a few hours yet.

But he got his answer one night.

An emergency surgery that took almost four hours meant that Reid was heading home at almost eleven at night. He was dying to eat something but thought it best to grab something on the way home instead of eating the hospital’s substandard crap that would do nothing to fill his belly.

Stomach rumbling, Reid had his mind set on a large meat-lovers pizza all for himself when his eyes fell on the tattoo studio that was still open, with at least five or six people inside obviously waiting their turn to ink their skin. 

But there was a man standing outside. He did look rather familiar but Reid brushed the thought away knowing that he saw too many people every day to remember them all. He was leaning against the window wearing tight black jeans and a grey long-sleeved t-shirt with his ankles crossed, a bottle of water in his hand as he stared out onto the street. As he got closer, the man caught his gaze, smile growing wider and wider as he got closer. Reid didn't know why the hell the guy was looking at him that way, but he kept on walking, hands in his leather jacket pockets, trying so hard not to think just how hot the guy was.

He looked like freakin' jailbait.

"Hey!"

Reid wanted to ignore him but his feet didn't listen, turning around to face the man who'd called out for him.

The blonde man took a couple steps closer, eyeing him up and down before grinning brightly. "You walk past here in the mornings, don't you?"

Reid narrowed his eyes, not sure why the hell he was asking when it him suddenly. This must be the owner--but he looked young, like he was barely out of college himself. "Yeah, I do."

"I thought so!" The man held out his hand, a couple of rings on his fingers and tattoos on his forearm clear to see, still grinning. "I'm Luke Snyder, owner of ' ** _Grimaldi Ink_** _'_."

Reid, still confused as to why he was even standing here talking to the man, shook his hand anyway. "Reid Oliver, I work at the hospital a couple of blocks down the street," he explained.

"Oh, so I'm guessing you have early shifts or something. I always see you in the mornings."

"Yeah."

"Must be hard though, right? I mean, I get up early in the morning because that's when I get my best ideas, you know? I just keep drawing and drawing and can't stop but it's still so hard for me to get used to."

"I'm used to it," he answered shortly.

The man, _Luke_ , laughed a little, gazing at him strangely and Reid felt a little uncomfortable under his scrutiny. "What?"

"You just," Luke shook his head with amusement. "You're not a very good conversationalist, are you? Here I am, trying to make friends in a city where I have no friends, and I feel like I'm annoying you."

Reid scowled. "You are," he lied.

Luke snorted out a laugh. "See? Those short sentences don't make for a good conversation."

"What if I don't want to have a conversation with you? You're the one who stopped me in the street."

"And you're the one who stopped," Luke replied with a smirk. " _And_ you're the one who looks into the studio every single day with this weird look on your face and I can't work out why."

Reid's heart leapt to his throat and fuck, he'd totally been put on the spot. "You thinking about getting a tattoo?" he enquired, eyes filled with mirth.

Reid shook his head. "Nope, not my thing."

Luke quirked an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Very sure."

Luke assessed him with a smile and sighed. "You might change your mind one day, so if you do, make sure you pop into my place. I might even do you for free."

Reid watched Luke's eyes widen when he realised what he'd just said, a blush creeping up on his cheeks which Reid didn't find adorable at all, _nope_ , and sought to correct himself. "You know what I mean."

The corners of Reid's mouth turned gently upwards. "I will keep that in mind. Thank you."

Luke scrubbed a nervous hand through his hair, t-shirt lifting slightly which revealed a few more tattoos on low on his hips that Reid did _not_ see or find hot at all. "You're welcome. And hey, make sure you tell your friends at the hospital about this place. It's a new studio, so good word of mouth in a hospital would be good for me."

"I don't have any friends."

Luke narrowed his eyes disbelievingly. "Yeah--well, you have me, don't you?" he said with a bright smile.

"We're not friends."

Luke stared at him incredulously, cocking his hip. "I know your name is Reid Oliver, you don't like to talk, you're a doctor and you don't ever want to get a tattoo. What more do I need to know?"

Someone opened the door behind Luke calling for him, stalling their one sided conversation. Luke turned around to face him after letting the guy know he'll be there in a second.

"Hey, I gotta go--good talking to you, Reid. Maybe I'll see you in here sometime, my friend," Luke shot him a wink and strode inside the studio, leaving Reid standing on the street wondering what the hell had just happened. He took a deep breath and watched Luke hug the guy who'd called for him tight to his side, laughing out loud with his dimples on show. He hadn't noticed them before.

Luke seemed to realise he hadn't left yet, and caught his gaze, waving with a wide smile. All Reid could do was bob his head once, swiftly walking away, trying hard not to think about that smile of his and his chocolate brown eyes that were brimming with amusement.

Christ.

He was fucked.

And not in the satisfying, positive, life affirming and well sexed way either.

***

Reid's mornings changed considerably after that.

Over the next couple of days, he would walk past the studio and see Luke standing in the window, waving at him in the mornings which Reid totally ignored because it was just way too weird.

But Luke wasn't deterred.

Every single morning, he would grin and wave, trying to get his attention, laughing when Reid would just frown or scowl at him. Things then took a turn for the weird when one morning he saw Luke standing by the window, holding up a piece of paper with some sort of drawing on it. It made Reid stop this time, frowning deeply, utterly confused. Luke then held up another piece of paper with another intricate design, holding up it up to obviously get some sort of opinion on both. Reid stared at both designs, not sure what he was looking for and shrugged.

He could see Luke heavily sigh, and shake both pieces of paper again, wanting him to obviously choose and Reid took a breath, studying both designs as best he could. The one that caught his eye was the drawing of a rose. It was deep red in colour, it's stem twisted around some initials he couldn't quite make out. But they fit together seamlessly, like the design itself had grown together. It was beautiful.

He pointed at the one that he'd first held up and waited for the other man's reaction with bated breath.

Luke grinned and took a quick look at the picture he'd chosen, giving Reid a thumbs up and a wink and walked away back to the reception desk, leaving Reid standing there bewildered. When Luke didn't turn around to wave goodbye, Reid pretended he didn't care and headed straight to work, trying not to feel a pang of disappointment.

The next morning, Reid was determined that he wouldn't even glance inside the studio. He did _not_ want to see Luke's stupid, annoying smile. So, he squared his shoulders and looked straight ahead, strides long and quick. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of those sinfully tight black jeans and the biker boots that Luke always wore but kept on moving, not stopping for a moment. It was childish, he knew that. Everything about his behaviour these days was ridiculous and he didn't dare to think why.

The next day, he did the exactly same.  Walking straight past the studio to the hospital and carrying on with his day as normal, most definitely not thinking about him. This continued for the next week and with Reid being so ridiculously busy, he didn't miss seeing Luke in the mornings, _much_. It's not as if he thought about him more often now that he wouldn't look for him and his smile.

Dammit. Why was he even thinking about him?

He hated his life and the choices his brain made sometimes.

***

Reid was running late.

He'd gotten home late the night before and the stress of the past week had taken it's toll. As soon as he'd gotten into bed, he’d fallen into a deep sleep, waking up an hour _after_ his alarm had gone off.

Rushing into the shower and getting changed as quick as he could, he flew out of his apartment in a rush, checking he had all he needed as he strode to work. He hadn't realised he wasn't looking where he was going whilst he was checking he had his keys until he slammed into someone. Reid grunted in surprise, a little taken aback and lifted his gaze to apologise but froze on the spot when he realised who it was and where he was.

Oh god no.

"Hey," Luke breathed, grinning wide, eyes lighting up in the morning sun.

Reid cleared his throat and got a hold of himself. "Hey," he replied.

"You look like you're in a rush."

"Am I that obvious?" he quipped.

Reid could see Luke fight back a laugh. "You don't frown at me anymore."

Reid sighed, face impassive. "What?"

"In the mornings? You don't look through the window and frown at me anymore, I gotta say, my week hasn't been the same without it."

Reid frowned and Luke burst out into a fit of laughter. "That," he pointed. "That is what makes my mornings and I missed it."

Reid huffed angrily and scratched at his nose. "If you're done, I really need to get to work."

He made a move to brush past him but Luke got in the way, holding a paper bag out for him. Reid looked down at it and then up at Luke, quirking an eyebrow questioningly.

"This is for you," Luke grabbed a hold of Reid's hand and promptly dropped the bag on it. "Eat this and I promise you that that perpetual scowl of yours will magically turn into a smile."

Reid eyed him carefully, not sure what his intention was. He normally prided himself in being able to work people out, he'd trained himself to do it since he was young, knowing that he couldn't get through life trusting every single person he met. They always wanted something from him. It was sad, but a reality. It made him mad that he couldn't work Luke out.

"I made it and I promise it's not poisonous," Luke added hopefully, hands nervously pushed into his jeans pockets.

Reid opened the bag gently and peered down at the frosted cupcake, then back up at Luke. "Are you a tattoo artist or baker?"

"I am a man of many talents," Luke confessed with a flourish of his hand and a bright grin. "Just eat it when you get to the hospital--it looks as if you haven't had the chance to grab some breakfast and you look like the kind of man who loves his food."

Reid resisted the urge to smile. "Thank you."

And if Luke's grin turned up another thousand watts, Reid ignored it. "You're welcome."

Reid shot him a very faint smile, gripping the paper bag tightly in one hand, brushing past him to make his way to work. He heard his name being called when he’d walked a few yards down the street and spun around to face him again.

Luke looked serious, more serious than he’d ever seen him.

"You should smile more, Reid. I have a feeling that it would suit you more than that scowl you wear all the time," he admitted before waving a quick goodbye and turning on his heel, walking back into his studio.

Reid stood there for a couple of seconds, baffled as to why Luke would care so much. No one really cared about what he did unless he was saving their life. His mind overran with all the possibilities for Luke's behaviour before shaking those thoughts out of his head, because no, work was his priority now.

Not blonde, crazily hot tattoo artists who made cupcakes in their spare time.

But that didn't stop him speeding to his office after a consult for a quick break and diving into the paper bag to find the delicious looking cupcake. He sat down comfortably in his chair and broke of a piece of it, admiring the soft texture, the bright pink frosting and sprinkles with a short laugh. He really should have expected that. He popped the piece into his mouth, chewing slowly as the sweetness of the cake flooded his mouth. He hadn't realised that the corners of his lips had turned upwards into a smile as he ate it until his fellow colleague and the only doctor he liked at the hospital, Dr. Thomas, walked in to find him with that expression.

"Reid, if all it took was a cupcake to make you smile this way, we would've given you one the day you started," he observed with a laugh.

Reid rolled his eyes and finished off the rest of the cupcake, throwing the trash away behind him. Did he really never smile? Did he really go through life that way? No one had ever pointed it out to him, and even if they had, he was sure he would never pay attention to it.

"It's been six months, Carl, maybe I should get six months worth of cupcakes to make up for it."

Carl laughed. "I'll get the staff in on it, as long as you share."

Reid stared at him incredulously, slipping on his lab coat. "I don't share."

"Well, as long as it cures you of your grumpiness, I'm sure no one will mind. Come on, Doc--we have a consult to get to."

Reid snorted a wry laugh and followed him out, but his mind was still stuck on Luke and the cupcake, and why he even cared.

***

A day later and Luke was standing outside of his studio again, handing him another paper bag which contained another cupcake. This time with bright green frosting and chocolate sprinkles.

"I know you're not gonna admit my cooking skills made you use muscles in your face you hardly use, but consider this exercise for just that. Have a good day, Reid."

He sauntered off, throwing him a wink and a grin--and even if Reid had wanted to say anything, Luke didn't give him the chance.

But he wasn’t going to deny himself free cupcakes.

***

The cupcakes totally made him smile, in private, for the next week. Luke, without fail, had one ready for him every morning, and when one day he’d had the day off and hadn’t managed to collect one, he’d had two waiting in the paper bag the next day. Luke wouldn't let Reid get in a word of thanks, handing him the cupcakes and walking away. But Reid couldn't help but wonder what he got out of it.

However, when he thought long and hard about it, Luke wasn't gaining a thing out of this. Nothing at all.

Reid wanted to call it a fit of insanity, there was a better word for what he was doing, definitely.

But no, actually. Insane sounded right. He didn't know why he was doing it.

Leaving for work in the morning, Reid grabbed his own little paper bag he'd prepared the night before, trying to dampen down the odd fluttery feeling in his stomach.

As expected, Luke was stood outside, in those tight jeans (how many pairs did he own?) and another of his grey long sleeved t-shirts, looking smug and a little too chipper considering the early hour. Once Reid was close enough, Luke grinned brightly, handing over his bag.

"Enjoy--I tried a little something different today." Without another word, Luke turned to walk away but before he could, Reid wrapped his fingers around his wrist, stopping him from going anywhere.

Luke spun around, eyes darting down to his wrist and then back up to look at Reid, confused.

Reid let go, reluctantly, and handed over his own bag to a shocked Luke. "I can't keep taking freebies," he said. "Enjoy it."

Luke, open mouthed in surprise, peered into the bag and barked out a laugh. "You made me a sandwich?"

Reid shrugged. "It's what I'm good at."

"You made me a sandwich," he repeated in awe, glancing between the sandwich and Reid.

"I can guarantee that, that sandwich will put a smile on your face."

Luke bit on his bottom lip, contemplatively, and Reid totally didn't feel a jolt of lust shiver down his spine when he saw that.

"Like my cupcakes made you smile?" Luke asked hopefully, a great big nervous smile breaking out onto his face.

Reid was powerless to stop it. But fuck it, he didn't care. He smiled, just as big if not bigger, a laugh slipping past his lips. "Yeah, like your cupcakes made me smile."

This time it was Reid who made the first move. Not the kind of 'move' that flashed through his mind right in that moment which made his heart skip a beat, but the kind of move that meant that he left first, willing himself to keep walking even when he heard Luke laughing out loud.

"Yes," Reid heard him crow. "I made you smile--I did it, I did it!"

He shouldn't have turned around to see Luke, but he didn't know what had possessed him lately, and did it anyway, managing to catch Luke fist pump the air and laugh some more.

"I knew my cupcakes were magical!"

Reid rolled his eyes and shook his head with amusement, throwing him a goofy salute which made Luke laugh even harder. He shot him another wide smile and headed to work, spirits high and mood better than it had been in months. There was something about this Luke that made him feel things, and the most ridiculous thing was, he really didn't know a damn thing about him.

Except he did. He knew the important parts, the things that mattered for the moment.

And that wasn't such a bad thing, was it?

***

Oh, but it was. Everything was bad.

Not Luke or his tattoo studio or his hot body and the tattoos that adorned his skin that some nights Reid had dreamt about licking but everything else was bad. His mood from earlier that morning had been trampled into the dust and he hated everything.

He needed a drink, a fucking strong drink so that he could forget about everything that had happened today.

But Reid knew that he couldn't ever forget it. No one forgets losing a patient. Especially a patient who he'd tried his hardest to save, especially a patient who he knew he’d tried his hardest to help but had somehow lost him on the table. Reid Oliver hated to fail, and when he did, he vowed to himself that it wouldn't ever happen again.

The patient had died through no mistake of his own, he knew that, but it didn't stop him feeling like crap, for feeling like he’d failed him.

His Chief of Staff had given him the rest of the night and the next day off and Reid knew exactly what he was going to do.

Five beers, two vodka shots and two fingers of whisky later, Reid was drunk. That hadn’t been his intention, but sometimes living in your own head made you do things you didn't ever expect yourself to do. But he also knew that he'd had enough, and that drinking anything more wasn't going to help him forget anything and so he left some bills, covering the cost of his drinks. He grabbed his leather jacket off of the chair next to him and left the bar, heading home.

The night was a little cooler since fall was fast approaching, so Reid zipped up his jacket, huddling into it, wanting the comfort of his bed more than anything. It had been a while since Reid had walked past Luke's tattoo studio so late, not since the first night Luke had talked to him.

Of course he'd gone home from work the same way but Luke was never there, most likely busy with appointments to wait up for Reid. It's not as if Reid went home at a certain time, expecting Luke to figure out when to see him. The mornings were a different thing.

As he got nearer to the tattoo studio, he saw a Luke walk out, holding the door open for the man who'd called for him that night when they’d first officially met. He watched as they hugged, holding on a little longer than necessary which made Reid's stomach churn with jealousy. He shouldn't care but he did and wow, his drunken brain was coming up with the most ridiculous scenarios. Most of them ended with the both of them in bed, together--with Reid putting Luke's mouth to better use in other places, his own mouth mapping all the intricate markings on Luke's skin that he still hadn't seen and, Christ, he really, _really_ wanted to.

Life was short, Reid had been reminded of that. Sometimes you just had to let go, go with the flow and all of that hippy kind of thing. Rigid rules and society’s expectations were bullshit. And sometimes, curiosity won over common sense and Reid's mind was made up. He wanted to stop living his life the way he was.

The guy, who Luke had been hugging, left and Luke headed inside and locked the door behind him, obviously closed for the night.

Reid marched up, squinting through the glass door to see Luke tidying the magazines and putting a few books back on the shelf that had been left on the table, and knocked on the door.

Luke, obviously startled, spun around, eyebrows hiking up to his hairline and mouth falling open. "Reid?" he saw him mouth.

Reid knocked on the door again and, making it clear he wanted to come in and Luke was quick to comply, unlocking the door with his keys.

"Reid," Luke breathed, baffled but happy to see him. "What are you doing here? I don't have any cupcakes right now but--"

Reid got straight to the point, interrupting him. "I want a tattoo."

Luke blinked. "Huh?"

"A tattoo, that's what you do, right? Unless this place isn't called 'Grimaldi Ink' and you're really not a tattoo artist?"

"Of course, I am--but Reid--"

"Can I come in then?"

Luke nodded haltingly, holding the door open and moving to the side, Reid brushing past him to get in. He locked the door again and turned to face Reid, face etched with worry and arms folded across his chest.

"What's going on, Reid?"

Reid sighed, not wanting to be talked out of this. "I want a tattoo, and you said that if I ever wanted one I could come to you," he opened his arms, eyebrow quirked, "so here I am!" he declared a little hysterically and drunkenly.

Luke eyed him carefully, not saying a word and closed the distance between, sniffing him carefully, making Reid shrink guiltily into himself.

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk."

"You reek of booze, Reid--you're drunk."

Reid relented with a huff of a laugh. "’Kay, fine--I'm drunk, now can we get on with the tattoo or shall I go somewhere else where they won't ask me so many questions?" Reid took a step to the side but Luke blocked him, arms out.

"No, no--wait. I'm not letting you go anywhere like this."

"Will you stop with the questions then?"

Luke bit his lip, nodding, still gazing at him with concern. "Yeah, yeah--I will. I'm sorry--come with me."

Luke led Reid into the back, there were atleast four rooms but Luke took him to the room right at the end, on the right, opening the door.

"Sit down."

Reid looked around the room, taking in the movie posters and all the equipment in the glass wardrobe opposite. He wasn't scared, he was done being freaked out by tattoos. And maybe this was a rite of passage--something you had to do once when you were drunk.

"Do you know what you want?" Luke asked, interrupted his flow of thoughts.

"What?"

"The tattoo? Do you know what you want?"

"No, not really--surprise me."

Luke didn't look impressed at all and shook his head. "Reid, I don't think--"

Reid scowled, not wanting to be deterred. "I can leave right now 'n go to that other tattoo place a couple of blocks over--"

Luke grunted in annoyance. "No, don't go--where do you want the tattoo?"

Reid thought about it for a moment before stripping his jacket and shirt, lying down in the tattoo chair topless and closing his eyes, throwing his arms open. "I'm your canvas for the night, do whatever the hell you want."

"Whatever I want--you sure about that?" he heard Luke ask apprehensively.

Reid opened one bleary eye and snorted out a laugh. "Yes, anything you want, Luke--just do it."

***

Death would be better than this, that was for sure.

Waking up was the worst decision he'd made and he wanted to die a million times before he opened his eyes and burned his eyeballs out.

He hadn't been this hung over since freshman year in college and he hated how he felt when alcohol got into his system. God knows what he'd gotten up to last night but Reid didn't want to know because he wasn't going to open his eyes ever again. He was going to die in this bed, his head was going to explode and the landlord would find him months later because no one would be worried about him until the smell of his corpse became unbearable.

Reid groaned and managed to drag the covers from over his head and down to his waist, opening his eyes slowly to accommodate for the morning sunlight streaming through the thin curtains. He really needed to buy a blackout blind so he could sleep better. Once the pounding in his head calmed down slightly, Reid made a move to actually get up, swinging his legs off the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands and trying to remember exactly what had happened last night.

It all came back to him like a tidal wave, heart beating out of his chest when images of Luke and his tattoo studio came rushing back to him. He remembered stumbling there, asking Luke for a tattoo and Luke telling him no and then agreeing and, Christ--please, please, he hoped there wasn't a tattoo anywhere on his skin that he'd decided to get on a drunken impulse.

Reid patted his body down, looking for any points of soreness but when he didn't, he ran to the bathroom, almost tripping over in his haste, pulse roaring as he looked in the mirror and found exactly what he didn't want.

A tattoo, on his chest, on his right (but left) pec in the mirror, of--fuck--a butterfly? A bright pink butterfly? Oh, he was going to kill Luke when he saw him.

Reid tipped his head down to look at it and scrubbed his finger over it, wondering why it wasn't as painful as it should be when he realised that maybe the tattoo wasn't so real. And maybe he really had no reason to kill Luke.

Reid scrubbed at the temporary tattoo some more before giving up. It just wasn't shifting and looking down was making his headache worse. He felt nauseous. With another groan, Reid padded back to his bedroom to check the time where he found a note, a bottle of water and two pills on his bedside table.

_I'm sorry if I've intruded or stepped over the line but you needed someone to bring you home and it just happened to be me. Please do take the pills for your headache._

_Take care,_

_Luke_

Reid read the note over a couple more times, trying not to think about the fact that Luke must’ve stripped him and put him to bed. But he finally took his advice, swallowing two pills with the bottle of water he'd left behind and slumped back into bed. It's not like he had anywhere else to be.

Luke had gone above and beyond for him and as embarrassed he was, he needed to go to see him and apologise for his behaviour.

Maybe he was a friend after all.

***

Reid went there the same afternoon, once the pounding in his head was a dull throb, the bell jingling above him announcing his arrival and cast an eye over all the people inside, not finding Luke. There was a couple sitting on the couch and another three students lounging in the chairs , chattering excitedly about something what piercing they were planning on getting.

The guy from the night before, the one who'd been hugging Luke, came over to him with a smug smile. Reid hadn't really taken into account the guy's looks, but now that he could see him in broad daylight, he could see his slight resemblance to Luke.  The guy had the same blonde hair but instead of those chocolate brown eyes, his were bright blue, and he was a little broader and taller. They made a good couple, if they were one that is.

"How can I help you?"

Reid took a breath, steeling himself. "I'm looking for Luke, is he around?"

"Yeah, man--he's with a client right now," he then pointed towards the empty chair. "You can wait here if you want."

Reid nodded his assent and sat down, perched his sunglasses on his head and pinched the bridge of his nose to ease his headache. He felt much better than he had before and he'd even managed to keep something down. But the headache was easing away slowly, not as fast as he would like it.

He grabbed the newspaper lying on the table in front of him and caught up on the day's news. He ignored the murmurs around him, his concentration solely on the paper and the news in front of him. He didn't know how much time had passed, but to him it felt like an eternity. The blonde guy at the counter kept sending him weird looks, as if he knew more than he let on, so Reid chose to ignore him. Nervousness was tripping up and down his spine in anticipation, wanting nothing more than to just see Luke and get this over with.

"Reid?"

Reid snapped his head up to find Luke gazing at him what felt like hours later, looking just as nervous as he felt. He looked amazing, there was no other word for it. Wearing a light blue t-shirt and those black jeans again and all his tattoos, the tribal and Celtic designs twisting up his arms, were on show that Reid thought looked just right on him.

"Hi," Reid dumbly replied, getting to his feet. "I was waiting for you."

Luke smiled, a softer, sweeter smile this time. "I know--do you wanna come through? We can talk there?"

"Sure."

“I’m gonna take a break,” Luke said to the guy stood at reception. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Just like the night earlier, Luke led the way as Reid followed. The guy at the reception desk was smiling smugly and he didn't really know what to make of it. Reid had hazy memories of the room that Luke had taken him into but didn't expect the room to be so light and airy when he walked in. The window had been thrown open and Luke switched off the iPod that was still playing music through the speakers.

Reid glanced around for a place to stand but couldn't move from his spot in front of the closed door. He watched Luke throw some rubbish away into the trash can behind him and leant against desk, glancing up at him through his eyelashes.

"How are you feeling?" he finally asked.

Reid inhaled sharply, clearing his throat before he spoke, hooking his sunglasses into the ‘V’ of his shirt. "Yeah, I'm not so bad, the headache is slowly easing away but better than this morning."

"Did you take the pills I left you?"

"Yeah, I did--thank you."

Luke shrugged and pushed his hands into his pockets. "Well, it was the least I could do, nothing to thank me for."

Reid felt like an idiot anyway and didn't understand why Luke had cared so much. No one really did. "Look, I guess I'm here because I wanted to apologise for last night. I shouldn't have come to you like that and it certainly wasn't your responsibility to take me home. I'm really sorry. I lost a patient on the table and when I do--sometimes, like last night, I just need to forget about it."

"Reid--come on, it's fine. You're entitled to drink your sorrow away--I'm sorry about your patient though, that must've sucked."

"It did but thank you anyway--it's been a while since I've gotten that drunk and if it had to happen then I'm glad you were there."

Luke huffed out a laugh, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, cheeks flushing and Reid didn't fail to notice it. "I'm glad you came to me and not to someone else, otherwise you would've done something you would've _really_ regretted."

Reid chuckled with a nod, rubbing his hand over the right side of his chest pointedly. "That is true."

Luke eyed his movement and bit back a laugh.

Reid sighed wearily. "Really, Luke? A bright pink butterfly?"

"You wouldn't leave till I gave you a tattoo and this is the nearest one I had on hand," Luke told him with a chuckle. "Did you manage to get the tattoo off by any chance?"

Reid almost pouted. "No."

He sniggered and gestured to the chair in the middle of the room. "Lay down here and I'll take it off for you. I'm guessing you tried taking it off with water, right?"

Reid rolled his eyes, remembering how red his skin had gotten as he tried to pick it off. "Yes, and I know rubbing alcohol works but I didn't have any."

"So, you came here," Luke finished for him, walking towards the glass wardrobe and getting out what he needed.

Reid shoved his sunglasses into his shirt pocket and opened the buttons of his shirt slowly, a little teasingly he had to admit, catching Luke’s sharp inhale, his eyes drinking him in hungrily before darting to look anywhere but at him.

"No, that's not the only reason I came here. I had some apologies to make." Reid sat down in the leather chair and got comfortable, splaying his shirt open and watching as Luke pulled his stool closer, switching on the overhead light.

"Hmm, sure," Luke said with amusement, wetting the cloth with the alcohol and Reid could tell he was having a hard time not checking him out. "I know you only came here so you could get cupcakes outta me."

"What if that really was the reason?"

Luke met his gaze and smirked. "I wouldn't give you any."

Reid flinched a little as Luke began rubbing gently at his skin with the cold cloth. "Why?"

Luke took a moment to answer. "Because you're an asshole who never smiles at me and ignored me for a week until I gave you cupcakes. I know how much I'm worth to you."

"That's right, I only like you because of your cupcakes."

"And I only like you because of your sandwiches."

Reid couldn't help but grin at that and he didn't fail to notice that they were ridiculously flirting right now. "So, my sandwich made you smile. I knew it would."

"It did, it was very tasty--thank you. You saved me having to eat the crap Casey makes."

Reid's smile dropped a little. "Casey?"

"Yeah, the guy who was sitting at the reception desk? He's my best friend from back home," Luke said, a fondness in his tone. "Just a friend, I promise and just so you know, he’s very protective of me," he added with a smug smile.

Reid's heart rate got back on track when he heard that, not caring that Luke knew why he'd looked so worried. "But I thought you didn't have any friends."

"Maybe I was lying."

"Why would you lie?"

Luke's hand froze on his chest and he ducked his head, concentrating on taking off the tattoo again, cheeks growing red. "Because maybe I was trying to woo you by wanting to be your friend first," he admitted quietly.

Reid's lips twisted upwards, watching every single reaction on Luke's face. It was fun to watch him squirm for once. "You were trying to woo me?"

"Reid," Luke huffed out with a short laugh, embarrassed.

This was amazing. "What? I'm just asking an innocent question."

Luke snorted, wetting the cloth with some more alcohol to avoid looking at him. "So, now you've become good at conversation? Better late than never."

Reid sighed, unable to stop the smile that had permanently etched itself onto his face, because of Luke. "What if I only want to have a conversation with you?"

Luke locked gazes with him and raised both his eyebrows. "Wow, are we taking the flirting up a notch? Didn't realise _you_ could even do that," he retorted, holding his lips inwards so he wouldn't laugh.

Reid was done playing games because the situation was clear. He liked Luke and Luke liked him, it was time to take things forward. "Sometimes it's worth the hassle, especially when the guy makes you cupcakes. I mean, you already have an advantage, I'm lying here, shirt wide open--at your mercy."

"It's not like I've handcuffed you 'cause you can leave any time."

"But you could--I don't mind."

Luke was blushing furiously and rubbed harder at the tattoo, the last remnants of it coming off easily. "There, you're done."

Reid held back a laugh and watch Luke fiddle with screwing the cap on the rubbing alcohol, something catching his eye which made his smile plummet.

"Wait a second," Reid tugged on Luke's left arm as he sat up, peering curiously at his forearm and a design that looked familiar. It was a deep red rose with some letters woven into it intricately, "I think I've seen this before."

Luke bit his lip in that way Reid liked a lot and shrugged. "It's that design you chose a couple weeks ago--I finally got it done."

"Luke," Reid frowned, shaking his head, upset that the responsibility for such an important decision had taken place because of his approval. "You should have told me it was for you."

"It's not a big deal--it wasn't _just_ your decision, I asked Casey and he thought it was good, too. You just tipped the scales in the design's favour."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, I promise--I know it seems like it was a flippant decision but it wasn't."

Luke tried to pull away but Reid held on tight, tugging and dragging Luke closer till he was sitting astride him. "Reid--," Luke attempted, wanting to know what the hell he was doing.

"Tell me about it."

Luke stared at him, puzzled.

"Tell me about the tattoo," Reid repeated. "What does it mean to you?"

Luke's cupid bow lips formed an 'O' as realisation hit him and a soft smile graced his face as he explained. "I've always loved roses and I hadn't had one of those yet so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. The rose is the universal symbol for love, and my family mean the world to me so I have their first initials tattooed in, too."

"Do you have a big family?"

"Oh God, you don't want to know--I have a huge family back in Oakdale, Illinois. But I only have my immediate family's initials put in--if I tried to put them all on, my arm would be covered with just letters," he remarked with a laugh.

"Family means a lot to you?" Reid asked, fingers delicately tracing the tattoo.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I miss them a lot."

"Then why are you here?"

Luke stiffened, the line of his shoulders becoming tense and Reid sought to backtrack. "I'm sorry, it's not my business." Reid let go of Luke's arm and was about to get up, but Luke's hand on his thigh stopped him. "No, wait--I'll tell you."

"You don't have to."

"No, I do--it's fine." Luke smiled and tightened his hand on Reid's thigh.

"Long story, short? I had a bad breakup, like a really horrible breakup and family crap was starting to get to me. Got chucked out of college and then I suddenly had a lot of money from my biological father. Almost three quarters of it I set up as a charitable foundation and with the rest I decided to travel around and discovered my passion for art and studied it hard.”

Luke unconsciously rubbed his free hand over his upper arm, smiling as he talked.  “Got my first tattoo in Hawaii after learning from some tattoo artists there and then I went from country to country--went anywhere and everywhere so I could to learn from the best. And with some help and expert guidance, I set up this tattoo studio with Casey, which I think is doing pretty well."

It took a while for Reid to process all of what Luke said. It sounded complicated and crazy but he was sure now, more than ever, that he wanted to hear more about him. He wanted to know about his tattoos and the stories behind them all. It also brought to the light why he’d been so adamant for Reid to smile, to enjoy his life. Luke looked as if he’d learned to appreciate life the hard way and wanted to make sure that everyone he came into contact with lived life to the fullest.

But it was true, more than anything, he wanted to know all the things that made Luke, Luke.

"If that was short, I wonder how long your ' _long_ ' story will be," Reid replied instead, smirking.

Luke chuckled, moving his hand off of Reid's thigh. "Very, very long and I'm sure you don't want to know. There's so much you don't know about me."

"I don't care," Reid confessed without a beat. "But I still want to know."

Luke looked astounded, obviously lost for words. "Even after my failed attempt to woo you?"

They stared at each other for a long moment before Reid broke the spell.

"Who said you failed?"

He took the initiative and went with his heart and lifted a hand to cup Luke's cheek, bringing him close for a feather light brush of a kiss, hand slipping back to grip the nape of his neck. "You made me smile, didn't you?" he breathed against his mouth, lips only millimetres apart. "Tell me what you think--does it suit me more than my 'perpetual scowl'?"

Luke blinked his eyes open, a little dazed and laughed against his lips, his own hand coming up to hold Reid close, before dropping to rest over his heart under his shirt. "It suits you a million times better."

Reid kissed him once more, lips sucking lightly on Luke’s bottom lip, nipping on it and laving it with his tongue to soothe, kiss growing wetter and filthier before moving apart, looking down at the now non-existent tattoo on his chest and then back up at Luke, smiling hopefully. "Does that mean that I get another cupcake?"

Luke groaned with frustration but the upturn of his lips gave him away. "I knew the cupcakes were a bad idea."

"You found my kryptonite."

"That I did--but how about we use my lunch break more productively and make out, my friend."

"Friends don't normally make out," Reid pointed out, sitting backwards and dragging Luke on top of him.

"Then how about we get to know each other a little more over dinner?"

Reid wasn't going to say no to that but he also wasn't going to say no to the making out. "Yeah, dinner--but making out with you sounds good, too."

"Awesome."

Luke didn't wait a moment and wriggled on top of him to get comfortable, legs tangling and elbows resting either side Reid's head. Luke leant down to finally kiss him soft and slow, wrenching a moan out of him when he felt his tongue brush against his own.

Reid broke the kiss, hands smoothing over Luke's back. "Mmm, wait."

Luke pouted adorably at the loss of kiss and Reid couldn't help but chuckle, thumbing at his chin affectionately. "What?"

"That offer for a tattoo still open?"

"It always is, but I know you don't want one, so why are you asking?"

Reid blew out a slow breath, gathering his thoughts. "I guess you've helped me understand some things I didn't before, that maybe tattoos aren't just a reflection of who you are as a person, but they can be a story about your life, your struggles and triumphs,” was what he wanted to say but instead, he said something else.

“I just think you're brave to bare your soul to the world, despite the things you've gone through."

Luke tangled his fingers in Reid's curls and grinned down at him. "Does that mean you'll bare your soul to me one day?"

"One day," Reid promised, leaning up for a chaste kiss. "But only after a cupcake."

Luke rolled his eyes with affection. "And you'll only get a cupcake if you smile every single day for me. Life's short to be so grumpy all the time. So, deal?"

Reid didn't really have any other choice but to take up the deal but honestly, he didn't want another option, not really.

"Deal."

***

"Wait."

"What?”

“Why me?”

A happy sigh.

“There was just something about you, something that drew me to you. It’s hard to explain really, but I don’t want to question it. It is what it is--maybe I’m just attracted to grumps, now just kiss me, please.”

“No, wait.”

“What now, Reid?”

"Is your name Luke _Grimaldi_?"

"No, it's Luke Snyder."

"Then why--"

"If I'd known that making you talk would open up a dam and would make you want to talk when there should be more kissing and grinding going on, I wouldn't have ever made those damn cupcakes."

" _Luke_."

"Just kiss me dammit and I'll tell you everything at dinner tonight."

"God, give me strength."

"You're gonna need it, especially when we go back to your place tonight. It's gonna be a million times more satisfying than my cupcakes."

" _Fuck me_."

"If you say so..."

 


End file.
